Les Paul Florentine with Bigsby

Gibson has never backed away from its pioneering ways, and the new Les Paul Florentine with Bigsby Tailpiece is simply another example of its determination to combine the Les Paul’s legendary characteristics with avant-garde features to keep it one step ahead of everything else. This new 2009 Limited Run Series guitar from Gibson USA combines the classic appointments of the iconic Les Paul with a few of Gibson’s most functional attributes. First and foremost, the standard Les Paul cutaway gives way to the wider Florentine Cutaway. Normally found on such historic Gibson models as the Byrdland, the ES-175 and the ES-295, the Florentine Cutaway design comfortably enhances a player’s reach to the higher register of notes. Second, and most prominent, is the addition of the chrome Bigsby vibrato tailpiece, which allows players the ability to bend the pitch of notes or entire chords for vintage-style vibrato. A white graphite nut, locking Grover tuners and Schaller roller bridge all work in conjunction to keep the guitar in tune and offer better string control when using the Bigsby. Of course, the body is traditional Les Paul – solid mahogany back topped by a AA-grade maple top with single-ply antique crème binding, smoothed with Gibson’s classic Vintage Sunburst finish. The neck is the standard Les Paul mahogany neck with Gibson’s new asymmetrical profile and rosewood fingerboard. A pair of Gibson’s renowned BurstBucker Pro™ pickups offer slightly higher output and allow amps to achieve a more natural break-up. They are packed with asymmetrical coils — true to Gibson’s original PAFs — which supply a more open sound. The BurstBucker Pro™ Neck is wound slightly less than the original PAFs, while the BurstBucker Pro™ Bridge is slightly overwound for increased output. Like all the guitars from this special series, only 350 of these unique Les Pauls will be produced and distributed. Each one will come with a black Gibson hardshell case and special Limited Run Series certificate of authenticity.